Remington 870 Fieldmaster Pump-Action Shotgun
The Remington 870 Fieldmaster is an iconic All-American pump action shotgun produced by Remington Arms Company. It's the ideal shotgun for the cost conscious sportsman who wants a best in class shotgun for hunting, self-defense and shooting sports at an affordable price.
Popular Remington 870 Fieldmaster models
The 807 Fieldmaster is much like its predecessor the 870 Express but engineered with improved metal prep for superior rust resistance, a smoother operating action, a high quality walnut stock, a softer butt pad to limit recoil, sling studs, and a receiver drilled and tapped to be fitted with an optic. The field master also comes with three Rem™ Chokes: improved cylinder, full, and modified chokes. The Fieldmaster has everything you'll find in the Models 870 Wingmaster and 870 Express, but at a considerably lower price point than the Wingmaster.
To ensure the maximum strength and reliability, the 870 Fieldmaster—like all 870 models—is manufactured from a single billet of solid steel. The new 870 Fieldmaster also comes with enhanced twin action bars to provide a smoother operating action that doesn't bind or twist—ensuring the shooter can get off a second shot without missing a beat. The Remington 870 Fieldmaster raises the bar for slide-action performance for a 12 or 20-gauge shotgun.
870 Fieldmaster Specs
The following are the specs for the standard Remington 870 Fieldmaster.
Remington 870 standard features:
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*3 1/2" shells limited to specific Fieldmaster models
870 Fieldmaster vs 870 Express
The Remington 870 Express was introduced in 1987 to provide a more affordable version of the Model 870 Wingmaster to compete with less expensive slide action shotguns. However, as consumers have come to demand a higher quality firearms, Remington has reintroduced an enhanced version of the Express known as the Fieldmaster. From design to functionality, the new Remington 870 Fieldmaster has several noteworthy improvements over the Express. These include:
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All in all, with the Fieldmaster you're getting a slightly nicer gun at a slighly higher pricepoint.
870 Fieldmaster vs 870 Wingmaster
The Remington 870 Wingmaster is considered the original Model 870 first introduced in the market over 60 years ago. It's truly the standard by which other pump action shotguns are compared and measured. It's considerably nicer in appearance and ergonics than the 870 Fieldmaster. The Wingmaster has a higher quality texture, finish, and wood than the Fieldmaster. But the improvement in design and ergonics doesn't come without cost. The Wingmaster is priced substantially more than the Fieldmaster, without that much additional benefit in functionality or performance.
The 870 Wingmaster comes chambered in 12, 20 and .410 gauges, where the 870 Fieldmaster is limited to 12 and 20 gauges. Not having the Fieldmaster chambered in the .410 isn't a huge deal for most sportsmans and hunters that aren't going to be hunting small game with a shotgun. The Wingmaster doesn't come in 3 1/2" shells, as does the Fieldmaster. Another difference between the two guns, but not really important to most shooters.
The two noteworthy differences between the Fieldmaster and Wingmaster are weight and LOP. The 7.5 pound Fieldmaster is a full half pound heavier than the lighter 7 pound Wingmaster. Not a big deal for a lot of shooters, but the weight difference does impact the performance and ergonics of the two guns. With the heavier Fieldmaster, shooters are going to feel slightly less recoil than with a the lighter Wingmaster. For many shooters, recoil isn't a deciding factor, but considering the relatively high recoil of most pump action shotgun models, the slightly lighter recoil of the Fieldmaster needs to be considered. If you're sensitive to recoil, the Fieldmaster is going to feel just a little more comfortable.
Now let's look at LOP. LOP—Length of Pull—on a shotgun is the distance from the trigger to the back center of the butt plate or recoil pad. LOP is an important measurement because it's one of the primary metrics to consider when determining "fit" for a shooter. The LOP on the Wingmaster is 14 1/4" compared the Fieldmaster's 14". If you're a little larger guy, the longer LOP of the Wingmaster is probably going to have a slightly better fit than that Fieldmaster with the shorter 14" LOP. For your average 5'7" to 5'11" man, the Fieldmaster is going to fit fine. But, if you're pushing 6', the slightly longer LOP of the Wingmaster is going to provide a better feel.
Handling and Balance
Probably the biggest difference between the Fieldmaster and previous 870 models is the ease of using the action. With the production of the 870 Fieldmaster, Remington is now using an improved process for smoothing the action bars. Smoother action bars leads to an easy to work action along with the ability to get a second shot of off quickly and accurately. Any stiffness in action movement can cause the barrel to be dropped as the fore-end slides backward, and force the shooter to reacquire the target with the sights. An anecdotal test performed shooting clay skeets with the 870 Fieldmaster suggests improved target acquisition and accuracy when shooting doubles.
A few gun owners have reported that the length of pull (14 inches) on the Fieldmaster feels a little short, but it fits most shooters like a glove. It's easy enough to increase the stock length, if needed, by adding a thicker aftermarket recoil paid to the butt of your Fieldmaster.
Fit and Finish
One of the nicest features of the Fieldmaster it's walnut stock and fore-end. Kudos to Remington for this decision. The premium wood and finish really makes this lower priced modern repeater shotgun feel much like its higher end predecessor—the 870 Wingmaster. This is a big improvement over the 870 Express model with a wood finish that can appear quite weathered after a season or two exposed to the elements.
With its fleur-de-list checkering and dual side grooves, the fore-end on the 870 Fieldmaster provides shooters a solid surface that is easy to grip even under the wettest conditions. And while not necessarily on par with higher end models, such as the Remington 1100 or 870 Wingmaster, the matted finish on the receiver of the Fieldmaster is really a descent quality.
A great benefit of the Fieldmaster over the Wingmaster or Express is a receiver that is pre drilled and tapped for an optic. This makes mounting a scope or red dot much easier. All you need is a Picatinny rail and screwdriver—no gunsmith required.
Top 870 Fieldmaster models
The following are a few of the most popular Remington 870 Fieldmaster models on the market today.Remington 870 Fieldmaster Blued 12 Gauge 3-1/2in Pump Shotgun - 28in
The Remington 870 Fieldmaster Blued 12 Gauge 3 1/2 inch pump shotgun with a 28 inch barrel is one of Remington's top selling Fieldmaster models. Like other 870 models, the Fieldmaster offers superior durability and performance in a pump action shotgun. This model is chambered in the 3 1/2in which contains a slightly larger load than 3in shells, which may improve shooting performance.
Remington 870 Fieldmaster Blued 12 Gauge Super Magnum specs:
| Attribute | Spec |
|---|---|
| Gauge: | 12-Gauge |
| Action: | Pump |
| Capacity: | 3+1 |
| Chamber: | 3-1/2inch |
| Barrel type: | Vent rib |
| Barrel length: | 28-inch (tested) |
| Choke: | Rem Choke (Modified) |
| Sights: | Single bead |
| Finish: | Black synthetic, hardwood/matte blue (test) |
| Length: | 48.5" |
| LOP: | 14 inches |
| Trigger pull: | 5.3 pounds |
| Overall weight: | 7.6 pounds |
Remington 870 Fieldmaster Black 20 Gauge 3in Pump Action Shotgun - 21in
The Remington 870 Fieldmaster Black 20 Gauge 3in Pump Action Shotgun with a 21 inch barrel offers the dependability and performance of the larger Fieldmaster 12-gauge chambered in a 20 gauge shell. With its lighter recoil and superior handling the Remington 870 Fieldmaster in the 20 gauge is ideal for long days of upland bird hunting.
Remington 870 Fieldmaster Black 20 Gauge 3in Pump Action Shotgun specs:
| Attribute | Spec |
|---|---|
| Gauge: | 20-Gauge |
| Action: | Pump |
| Capacity: | 4+1 |
| Barrel type: | Vent rib |
| Barrel length: | 21-inch |
| Sights: | Single bead |
| Finish: | Black |
| Stock: | Synthetic |
| Overall weight: | 7.5 lbs |